The Sunshine State’s Economy is Shining Brightly under President Trump

Florida’s economy is making a remarkable comeback — but it’s not because of the Democrats.

Eight years of Democrat incompetence under Barack Obama battered the Sunshine State, hobbling its enormous economic potential with endless anti-business regulations and taxes.

But times have changed. Florida’s economy is roaring again, producing more jobs and more wealth for Floridians — thanks to President Trump’s pro-growth policies.

In August, Florida Gov. Rick Scott proudly announced that the state reached a new economic milestone: for the first time in over a decade, Florida’s unemployment rate fell to 3.7 percent.

Florida’s recovering labor market was not the only indicator of the success of President Trump’s economic agenda — the state also experienced eye-popping growth, hitting a $1 trillion GDP in July of this year, making it the 17th largest economy in the world.

Domestically, Florida is also one of the most productive states in the union — its GDP growth in the first quarter of 2018 made it one of the fastest-growing economies in America.

Florida’s booming economy was a direct result of President Trump’s policies — the same policies that have lowered the national unemployment rate to below four percent and had our GDP singing to the tune of 4.2 percent. For the first time in years, the unemployment rate is lower than the GDP growth rate.

In light of this economic boom, it can be easy to forget that Florida’s economy was on the ropes just a few short years ago.

The rest of America wasn’t that much better off either. During the same year, the national unemployment rate lingered at just under 10 percent, and the economy struggled to grow under Obama’s glum economic vision. Instead of supporting small business growth, Obama and his Democrat lackeys in Congress supported the growth of anti-business regulations.

Sadly, the Democrats have learned nothing from their disastrous policies from the past. Instead of supporting President Trump’s job-creating policies since his election, Democrats voted against them, refusing to work together with the Republicans on passing meaningful economic reform. Not a single Democrat voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Now the Democrats want another shot. If they take control of Congress in November, they have promised to undo the middle-class tax cuts and attack the president’s pro-worker agenda.

For Florida this will simply mean one thing — this extraordinary era of economic prosperity, growth, and wealth will disappear as Democrats scrap President Trump’s policies. If the Democrats are successful, unemployment will rise, and Florida’s economy will lose its momentum — and may even decline.

President Trump has done wonders for Florida. If Floridians want to see continued economic growth after November, they have to back candidates who will support the president’s vision of prosperity — not obstruct it.

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., was first elected to Congress in 2016. He represents Congressional District 1, covering parts of the Panhandle.